HOLIDAY MISSION: Will and Christy Ware, new captains at the Salvation Army in Whittier, are gearing up to feed the needy and provide toys for children during the upcoming holiday season. (Staff photo by Keith Durflinger)

WHITTIER – The Salvation Army won’t be the worse for Ware this holiday season.

And neither will those who depend on the longstanding charity.

Will and Christy Ware, installed as the Salvation Army’s new captains on Oct. 1, are aiming to feed at least 400 families through their Christmas food drive.

Good thing they have their old seafood business and the Whittier Salvation Army at their disposal.

Will Ware, 35, said they have had just enough time to get their feet wet before the holidays hit.

“A large portion of our focus right now is trying to get volunteers for our Christmas effort,” he said.

This includes getting donations for and putting together 300 to 400 food boxes for their giveaway day on Dec. 17 and 18.

Families in the area must submit an application to receive a box, as they have only so many to go around. Last year, they gave out about 360 boxes, Will Ware said.

They also are doing an Angel Tree program in which people from the community can pick up a tag for a boy or girl of a certain age and buy them a new toy. The Salvation Army then collects the toys and provides wrapping paper for the parents.

“We want to make sure that every family and every kid has a present to open,” Will Ware said.

Another important Christmas program is their Red Kettle Campaign, in which volunteers man a red kettle at designated sites and ring a bell to solicit donations.

They’re trying to expand the number of red-kettle sites from 20 to 22 this year, Will Ware said.

Their overall goal for the local Salvation Army on Pickering Avenue is to promote its name in the community to attract more volunteers.

To do this, they are expanding their services, Will Ware said. A main focus is promoting the youth program, in part because of the Wares’ experience raising four boys of their own.

Even though they have been brought in as new captains, the Wares will continue to collaborate with previous captains Marcelo and Odelia Goncalves.

“We have a unique situation here in that we will be working in close partnership with them to expand the Salvation Army’s presence in the community and Rio Hondo,” said Christy Ware, 33.

The Goncalveses will now focus their efforts on ministry, in the Brazilian chapel and English and Laotian services.

In addition to their work, the Wares are in the process of adjusting to the drastic change in climate and resources from their old post in Petersburg, Alaska.

“The amount of natural resources was greater in Alaska. There, we used the idea that you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but you teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Here it’s different,” Christy Ware said.

The Whittier and Alaska branches differ in more ways than Southern California’s short-sleeved captains’ uniforms.

“We have a greater base of resources here for assisting us in the work, but we also have a greater population of need and more unemployment,” Will Ware said.

They are trying to reach out to organizations like the Charity League that have helped with donations in the past.

“Right now, it’s a struggle for this Salvation Army to continue to meet the needs. We have grateful givers, but the bottom line is our church has to support what we do,” Will Ware said.